'Our Red Line': Pakistan Fears Houthi Attacks On Saudi Could Pull Islamabad Into Iran War
'Our Red Line': Pakistan Fears Houthi Attacks On Saudi Could Pull Islamabad Into Iran War Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 23:48 IST Pakistan
'Our Red Line': Pakistan Fears Houthi Attacks On Saudi Could Pull Islamabad Into Iran War Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 23:48 IST Pakistan, which signed a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia last year and has thousands of troops deployed in the kingdom. Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. (AFP file photo) Pakistan is increasingly worried that recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could drag Islamabad into the widening regional conflict, complicating its efforts to maintain ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, according to Reuters. The concern comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group launched missiles towards Saudi Arabia this week, ending a four-year period of relative calm between the two sides. Pakistan, which signed a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia last year and has thousands of troops deployed in the kingdom, fears the situation could escalate further. “Our top civil and military leaders have conveyed to Iran at the highest level that the attacks on Saudi Arabia are attacks on Pakistan. It is our red line," a Pakistani official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Pakistan Fears Wider Regional Conflict Pakistan had already expressed concern over earlier Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia, but officials and analysts told Reuters that the latest Houthi attacks have significantly raised Islamabad’s alarm.
Security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana said Pakistan had not expected tensions to rise so quickly. Officials also fear that further Houthi attacks could expose Pakistani troops stationed near the Saudi-Yemen border and increase pressure on Islamabad to respond under its defence agreement with Riyadh. Retired Pakistani general Ghulam Mustafa said the country’s leadership “are still engaged in appeasing all stakeholders". However, he warned that the situation could change if the Houthis expand their attacks inside Saudi Arabia. Pakistan is also concerned that a wider conflict could disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, an important trade route for the country’s energy supplies and international trade. Balancing Saudi Ties And Iran Mediation According to the report, the latest Houthi-Saudi escalation has also made Pakistan’s role as a mediator between the US and Iran more difficult, despite helping broker an interim understanding between the two countries last month. One Pakistani official said the country remains committed to mediation despite growing frustration. “Yes, there is frustration, but that doesn’t mean that we are abandoning this project. We have invested a lot in it, and we have an interest in keeping it afloat," the official told Reuters.
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